Hydraulic oil-elevator



D. R. INGRAM.

HYDRAULIC olL ELEvAToR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. l0. 1919.

Patented Ot. 12, 1920* iyJ I Lv VENTO/e A TTORA'E Y UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID R. INGBAM, 0F KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

HYDRAULIC OIL-ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. i

Application led October 10, 1919. Serial No. 329,670.

To all who/m t may concern.'

Be it known that I, DAVID R. INGRAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Oil-Elevators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and igures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specilication.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for elevating oil in wells and has for its object the utilization of hydrostatic pressure for eli'ecting displacement of the oil.

The invention contemplates the use of suitable apparatus for supplying a flow of water to the well and directing the flow of oil and water to the surface; a packery being preferably introduced into the well above the oil level and, where natural or incidental water is present, one below the oil sand strata so as to confine the oil in a localized zone where it may be efficiently acted upon by the designedly introduced water to raise it so that the oil may be easily recovered from the well.

In the drawings,

Figure I is a perspective view of the general organization of a hydraulic oil elevator constructed in accordance with my invention, parts being broken away to better illustrate the interior of certain of the elements.

Fig. II is a side elevational view of the upper packer and -fragments of the tubes, and

Fig. III is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view through a portion of the well casinghshowing the upper packer in section and part of the lower packer in section.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference.

The well, of conventional construction, is indicated by the casing 1, there being an oil sand strata 2, adjacent thereto and a @vater sand strata 3 below the same. A packer 5 may be introduced at about the top of the oil level and, where natural or incidental lwater is present, I prefer t0 introduce a stopper or packer 4 at about or below the bottom of the oil strata, the two packers forming a chamber 6 Within which oil, passing through the screened section 7 in the casing, may collect to be acted upon by the hydrostatic pressure, as presently described. Leading from a water reservoir or tank 8 at the top of the well, is a pipe or conduit 9, projecting through the packer 5 and provided with a turned-up end 10, discharging into the chamber G formed by the packers 4 and 5. A pipe 11 also projects through the packer 5 and has its inlet end 12 preferably adjacent to the outlet end 10 of the pipe 9; the outlet end of the pipe 11 is indicated at 13 to discharge into the reservoir or tank 8.

The tank is provided with a float-actuated valve 14 adapted to close the inlet 15 of the pipe 9 when the level in the reservoir 8 has risen to a predetermined point.

When the parts are assembled as shown, the water cock 16 may be opened to permit water to flow through pipe 9, discharging at 10 into the chamber 8, displacing the oil accumulating in said chamber and forcing it up through pipe 11 into the reservoir 8 by hydrostatic pressure. If there is no free water present, the packer 4 may be dispensed with although it is generally good practice to employ a packer similar to that indicated by the numeral 4.

When a determined quantity of oil has been discharged into the reservoir 8, it may be skimmed or otherwise removed from the water therein and treated in the usual way.

rom the foregoing, it will be apparent that the device may be readily applied to existing types of wells and that the maintenance cost will be practically m'l, thereb enabling the recovery of oil from the wel at a minimized cost and dispensing with the necessity for employing expensive machinery or kindred apparatuses for accomplishing the same result.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. In a hydraulic oil elevator, a packer,

f'or closing the inlet in the first named pipe when the level inthe reservoir reaches a ,1)

determined level.

2. In a hydraulic oil elevator, a packer, a pipe projecting through the packer, a water reservoir above the packer and coin- Inunicating with the inlet end ot' the pipe, a pipe extending through the packeizand having its inlet below the packer and its outlet discharging into the reservoir, and a float-fu'tllated valve in the reservoir for controlling the effective port area of the inlet to the first named pipe.

3. In a hydraulic oil elevator, a well casing having a perforate portion near its lower end, a packer for the lower end of the casing, a packer above the perforate portion ofthe casing, a pipe projectingr through the upper packer and having its inlet above Y the packer and its outlet below the packer,

a pipe having its inlet below the upper packer and its outlet above the upper packer, and a water reservoir communicating with the first named pipe.

l. In a hydraulic oil elevator, an oil Well casing having a perforate lower end, a packer above the perforate lower end, a pipe projecting through the packer and having its inlet above the packer and its outlet below the packer, a second pipe projecting through the packer and having its inlet below the packer and its outlet above the packer, a water reservoir communicating with the inlet of' the first named pipe, and means in the reservoir for controlling the effective port area of' the inlet to the first named pipe in response to variations of fluid level within the reservoir.

In testimony whereofl I affix my signature DAVID R. INGRAM. 

